"I'm a Cupertino resident. I live down the street. I have a good life because of Apple stock. It's very sad," Fang said in tears.

Jobs "made such a big difference. Our property values went up," she said. "The whole city of Cupertino is different because of him. It was sad to see him leave. I was really surprised when I heard the news. We should have a Steve Jobs statue at City Hall. ... Without him being here, the whole technology is different. He’s different, not like anybody else."

Flags flew at half-staff at the company's sprawling campus, where workers described the mood inside as eerie and somber. Hardware engineer Henry Dai said he was at an afternoon meeting when news of Jobs' death came in an email to employees from Chief Executive Tim Cook. First, Dai said, everyone in the room got quiet.

"But we had to resume the meeting right away," said Dai, 41. "We had to work. It was the right thing to do. It's what he would have wanted."

Memorials were also left in front of Jobs' Palo Alto home. According to the San Jose Mercury News, police blocked off two streets around Jobs' home because of safety and traffic concerns, but local residents were allowed to pay their respects.